Courtesy of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will soon have a new leader. The renowned theatre company recently announced that Hana S. Sharif will become its new artistic director next year, taking over for Steven Woolf, who's retiring after this season.
Sharif hails from Baltimore, where she's currently associate artistic director for Baltimore Center Stage. Her career also includes roles as a director, playwright, and producer, as well as leadership roles at Hartford Stage and ArtsEmerson in Boston.
"I’m incredibly excited to follow in the footsteps of Steve Woolf, and I am looking forward to continuing and building on the legacy of artistic excellence and great programming—of American classics and new works," Sharif said in a Q&A with The Rep.
The Rep's board chose her unanimously following a nationwide search for Woolf's successor. In a release, board president Arlue Briggs said Sharif stood out in a distinguished field of candidates. “In addition to her artistic qualifications, we were enamored with the radiant passion for theatre that shone in each of our interviews with her," Briggs said. "Her love of the art form makes her a perfect fit."
In a Q&A with The Rep, Sharif said she fell in love with theater at a young age, and that passion continued as she entered college, where she initially planned to attend law school. She recalled nervously calling her parents during her junior year to tell them she was planning to major in theater. "My mother said my father owed her $10, because apparently they made a bet my freshman year about how long it would take me to figure out that I was an artist," she recalled.
Sharif noted that she's looking forward to spending more time in St. Louis and joining The Rep family. "I hope that together we’ll be able to craft stories and bring forward voices that really reflect the evolution of our society and our city," she said.
